opencode vs gemini-cli
Two of the top coding agents and assistants, side by side: score, setup, license, activity and what each review found.
opencode
Terminal coding agent with build and plan modes
gemini-cli
Terminal coding agent that runs Gemini models with file, shell and MCP tools
| What we compare | opencode | gemini-cli |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 99, widely used | 88, widely used |
| Freshness | 100, active | 100, active |
| Maintenance | 92, healthy | 91, healthy |
| Easy to run | 50, easy | 50, easy |
| Agent-ready | 30, minimal | 0, none |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 212.8k | 107.3k |
| License | MIT (permissive) | Apache-2.0 (permissive) |
| Last commit | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Last release | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Language | Not stated | TypeScript |
| Docker | No | Yes |
| GPU | Not needed | Not needed |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Mentioned | Mentioned |
opencode
Runs an AI coding agent in the terminal with two built-in agents: build (full access) and plan (read-only, asks before running bash), plus a general subagent for multi-step searches. Installs via a curl script, npm, Homebrew, Scoop, Chocolatey, pacman, mise or Nix, and ships a beta desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux. For developers who want an open, configurable coding agent.
Who it is for: Developers wanting an open terminal coding agent
Strengths
- MIT license; installable from npm, Homebrew, Scoop, Chocolatey, pacman, mise and Nix
- Plan agent denies file edits and asks before bash, for safe codebase exploration
- Desktop app (beta) for macOS, Windows and Linux alongside the terminal UI
Weaknesses
- README covers install only; providers, config and server mode are in external docs
- No Dockerfile or compose file in the repo
- Desktop app is still beta
- no GPU
gemini-cli
Gemini CLI is a TypeScript terminal agent, installed from npm, Homebrew, MacPorts or conda, that sends prompts to Gemini models and can edit files, run shell commands, fetch web pages and ground answers with Google Search. It supports MCP servers, GEMINI.md context files, conversation checkpointing, a headless mode with JSON and stream-JSON output, and a GitHub Action for PR review and issue triage.
Who it is for: Developers who want a Gemini-backed coding agent in the terminal or CI
Strengths
- Free tier with Google login: 60 requests/min, 1,000 requests/day
- 1M token context window with Gemini 3 models
- Headless mode emits plain text, JSON or newline-delimited stream-JSON
- Auth via Google login, Gemini API key or Vertex AI
Weaknesses
- Only talks to Gemini models; no other providers listed in the README
- Needs a Google account, API key or Vertex AI credentials; no local models
- Preview and nightly channels may contain regressions
- Free-tier quotas and terms are governed by Google, not the project
- no GPU
- Docker
- Needs Node.js, Gemini API, Google account login or Vertex AI
- Models: Gemini 3, Gemini 2.5 Flash